Yu Zhiding (1647-1716) was a famous painter during the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, known for his fine writing of characters, especially portraits. After entering the capital to enshrine the inner court, he was honored as a master of the capital, and "for a while, the small statues of celebrities were all out of his hands" (Qing Qin Zuyong's "Painting on Tong Yin").
Qing Yu Zhiding 《Jolai Flower Rain Zazen Diagram》
Qing Yu Zhiding 《Jolai Calligraphy and Painting Entertainment Picture》
Qing Yu Zhiding 《Qiao Lai Pingwu Independent Portrait Picture》
Qing Yu Zhiding "Qiao Lai Mao Foot Small Portrait"
Qing Yu Zhiding 《QiaoLai Bamboo Forest Even Gathering Small Portrait Picture》
Qing Yu Zhiding 《Jolai Willow Shade Fishing Map》
Yu Zhiding painted a lot of "Qiao Lai", such as "Qiao Lai Flower Rain Zazen Diagram", "Qiao Lai Calligraphy and Painting Entertainment Picture", "Qiao Lai Bamboo Forest Occasional Gathering Small Portrait", "Qiao Lai Pingwu Independent Small Portrait", "Qiao Lai Mao Foot Small Portrait", etc., showing the image of Qiao Lai zazen, painting, independence, maundy foot and so on, which is very interesting, from which you can get a glimpse of the life style of the literati at that time.
Portrait of Jole
So, who is Jolay? Why did Yu Zhiding paint so many portraits of Qiao Lai?
Jo lai has a recommendation for Yu Zhiding
Qiao Lai (1641-1694), zi jing, shi lin, jiangnan baoying (present-day Baoying county, Jiangsu province) people. Since childhood, he has been "brilliant and brilliant", and has traveled less from Wang Shizhen, who called his poem "Strange And Beautiful". In the sixth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1667), he entered the priesthood and was awarded the title of Cabinet Secretary. In the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1679), he was awarded the first class of "Erudite Hongru" and was taught the editing of the Hanlin Academy, and the revision of the History of the Ming Dynasty. Hou Guan to the attendant reading.
Yu Zhiding has a deep relationship with the Baoying Qiao family. Born in a low-class family, Yu Zhiding was first adopted as a "Sihua Qingyi" by the descendants of Li Chunfang of Xinghua as a teenager, and later entered the Xinghua Wu Yuanlu Mansion as a book boy. Li Qing, the great-grandson of Wu Yong and Li Chunfang, had been employed as officials of the same dynasty as Qiao Lai's father Qiao Ke, and they were both relatives. In the fourteenth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1675), Qiao Lai lived at home and worried. During this period, the Qiao family had more contacts with the Xinghua Li and Wu families, and Yu Zhiding became acquainted with them during this period. Yu Zhiding once worked as a diner under Qiao Laimen, teaching his son to learn painting, often painting portraits of Qiao's father and son. When Yu Zhiding was in his thirties, he entered Kyoto with Qiao Lai, and was soon recommended to the imperial court, where he enshrined his paintings in the ZhichangChun Garden and became a court painter.
In the early Qing Dynasty, the literati liked to make happy plans, first of all, they could put themselves between the mountains and rivers to pass on the aspirations of the forest springs; second, they could ask for inscriptions from friends, disciples, etc., maintain their feelings, consolidate their personal position in the literary court and political arena, and even expand their influence. During the Kangxi Dynasty, this wind was more prosperous. For example, Yu Zhiding painted portraits of Wang Shi twelve times, "Suiyuan Qi Nian Yu Drinking Map" for Xu Qianxue, "Xiao Xiuye Map" for Gu Sili, and "Moon Wave Flute Diagram" for Zhu Kuntian, which shows the end of the atmosphere of the literati circle in the capital. Whether it is a painter who was at the same time as Yu Zhiding, or a real person depicted in the painting, almost all of them are related to the prosperous and rich Jiangnan. This is significantly related to the changes in the entire economic and cultural atmosphere of Jiangnan society at this time, and the rapid rise of the commodity economy in Jiangnan during the Ming and Qing dynasties supported the development of Jiangnan portrait painting and the formation of aesthetic taste.
Qing Yu Zhiding 《Niantang CreekSide Independent Map》
Yu Zhiding's portraits rarely stand alone and sit without background, sit in a precarious position, blindly solemn, and often place the characters in a specific plot and environment, showing the specific activities and living environment of the protagonist at that time, and strive to truthfully reflect their actions and thoughts, the works are full of authenticity and intimacy, and there is no trace of artificial carving or idealization and conceptualization. Ru YuZhiding's "Independent Map of niantang creekside" painted by Qiao Lai's son Qiao Chongxiu is to integrate people and scenery. The man in the painting who is neutralized by the stream is named Qiao Chongxiu, and "Niantang" is his word. In accordance with the poetic meaning of "three forks of the ancient road by the creek, the independent slanting sun counts people" in Su Dongpo's poem "Three Longitudinal Pens", the ancient wood cangqiu is painted, and the chanting hall is independent by the creek. In the close-up, the figures in the close-up are dressed in cloth robes and wearing bucket hats, standing on the shore, looking leisurely and relaxed, showing a transcendent feeling. In the distance, pedestrians of all colors pass by on the small bridge. The background tree is clear in graphite and has a clear artistic conception.
Jole dares to speak directly to the water
In the twenty-first year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1682), in the face of the flooding of the Huanghuai Canal in northern Jiangsu, a fierce dispute broke out at the imperial court, and the governor of the river, Jin Fu, and the Anhui envoy Yu Chenglong, who was appointed to preside over the project, argued endlessly. Yu Chenglong advocated "opening the sea mouth", and Jin Fu advocated "opening a big river and building a long causeway". Jin Fu's proposition was huge, requiring nearly three million taels of silver, and the intrusion into the coastal people was greater. Qiao Lai was not afraid of power on this issue, according to his own field investigation, he resolutely sided with the lower status of Jackie Chan, with the "Bundle of Water and The Sea Is Not Negotiable" bluntly said the pros and cons, the people of the seven prefectures and counties endangered Caoyun and finally avoided bad luck. Later, due to the controversy of the imperial court of the "Huaiyang River Worker", he offended the magnates, was deposed and returned to Li, and ended his eunuch career.
Qing Yu Zhiding 《侍直圖》
Yu Zhiding's "Portrait of Serving Straight" praises The noble sentiment of Qiao Lai's daring to speak out in order to control the water, reflecting a specific historical event. Yu Zhiding did not paint scenes of arguments at the imperial court, but rather took considerable effort to show the standing statue waiting for the upper court before the discussion. In the painting, Qiao Lai is dressed in a court dress, his expression is serious and thoughtful, calm and resolute, the character appearance is portrayed in detail, the outline of the facial features is outlined with lines, and the light ink is baked layer by layer according to its structure, showing the changes of yin and yang concave and convex, and the last light ochre is applied, three-dimensional. The lines of the garment are straight and smooth, and the background only depicts the local railing in front of the Golden Ruan Hall, which is shrouded in a large area of morning fog to show the auspicious atmosphere.
Jole in imperial dress
The introduction of this volume is the title of Wu Rang, the master of the seal book, and the tail is also inscribed by Zhu Yizun, Pan Qi, Wang Wan, Mao Qiling, Xu Jun, Tao Cheng, Tang Youzeng, He Jinjun and other famous artists. Among them, Zhu Yizun, Pan Qi, Wang Wan, Mao Qiling, and Xu Jun all started in the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1679) and had a deep friendship with Qiao Lai, and when Qiao Lai lived in the official Beijing Division, he opened a peak grass hall in the south of Xuanwu Gate Outside the Xie Street as a residence, and Bo Hong often gathered here in the same year to enjoy flowers and poetry, and to sing the day. Among his friends, Qiao Lai was particularly close to Zhu Yizun and Pan Qian. They greatly admired and admired Jolai's courageous advice for the river fortifications, and the way of admiration was to compose poems, and they all wrote and praised his exploits. Pan Qi praised him as "Mr. Shirata's benevolence and courage, to Jun Yao Shun Huai Dan Cheng." Can't bear to fill in the huge ravine, dare to criticize the long whale with bare hands", but also expressed deep sympathy and indignation for its suffering. Wang Huan said, "It is not as good as the classic dress, wandering between the water and clouds, gently scratching and indulging, lying down to look at the Jiangnan Mountain." Talking about comfort, it can be seen that at this time, Jo lai had to resign his official and return to his hometown because he was ostracized because of his opposition to the strategy of the River Minister.
Yu Zhiding's works are not only vivid and realistic portraits, but also a strong literary temperament that is difficult for others to reach, which is prominently manifested in the perfect combination of characters and environment to express the style and charm of the painted objects, with a bamboo and a stone, a mountain and a water to express the elegance in the chest, or fortitude or femininity, or generosity or leisure, reflecting the exchanges and gatherings between the literati and the courtiers at that time.